I never imagined myself being terribly keen on military strategy when I contemplated what I might learn from living in Ethiopia. However, here I am sipping my “makeeato” on a Wednesday morning and toasting the Italians for my day off, surprised at how familiar I have become with the details of a battle that took place over a hundred years ago. Today in Ethiopia, it’s a national holiday to celebrate the 1896 Victory of Adwa, one of Ethiopia’s proudest moments and a turning point in colonialism in Africa. Some say it marked the beginning of the decline of Europe as the center of world politics and served notice to Europe that Africa was not just “there for the taking”. So even in our little town the colourful flags are fluttering proudly in the warm breezes and everyone knows it Victory of Adwa day!
Coming late to the “colonial scramble for Africa” the Italians, who had been “awarded” Ethiopia by the Conference of Berlin in 1885 and given the green light by their fellow Europeans to take possession, had ingratiated themselves with factions of the Ethiopian royalty. Things were going pretty smoothly until Emperor Menelik discovered that he had been double crossed over the 1889 Treaty of Wechale that had granted Italy the part of Ethiopia that was to become Eritrea in exchange for recognition of Ethiopian sovereignty over the rest of the country. It all came out in the wash when he made overtures to other European powers and they said he was required to do so through Italy. It seems the Italian version differed from the Amharic version and the key clause that Menelik discovered had made Ethiopia a protectorate of Italy.
And so the seeds of war were sown. In September 1885, as the rains began to dwindle, Emporer Menelik issued a decree that all the able-bodied men of his empire should gather for a march north, a march for all of Ethiopia. Behind the vast army trundled 40 cannons, hundreds of mules and 100,000 rifles. (Lonely Planet – Ethiopia and Eritrea)
The Italians had seriously miscalculated the strength of the Ethiopian forces and were already weakened from their battles in northern Ethiopia. Estimates were that they only had 14,500 men and the Ethiopians outnumbered them by 4-6 to 1 with between 73,000 – 100,000 soldiers. When they met in the northern market town of Adwa their defeat was fast and fierce.
Key players in the battle are shown in this painting (which can be found in the British Museum in London) and include Emperor Menelik (top left), his famously fierce warrior wife Empress Taitu (bottom left), the governor of Adwa with the cannon and the commander of the Ethiopian forces on horseback.
“The faces of the Italians and their allies are mainly painted in profile while the Ethiopians are painted in full face. This was an Ethiopian convention for showing the forces of good and evil.” British Museum caption on the painting.
The bloody battle, described as one of the biggest and most significant battles in African history, shocked the international world and was severely damaging for both sides.The Italian had losses of 7000 dead and 1500 wounded Italians. The Ethiopians had 4-5,000 dead and 8000 wounded. If you want to gory details, Wikipedia has quite a lot to say…
In Italy all hell broke loose: “When news of the calamity reached Italy there were street demonstrations in most major cities. In Rome, to prevent these violent protests, universities and theatres were closed. Police were called out to dispense rock throwers in front of Prime Minister Crispi’s residence. The Association of Women of Rome, Turin, Milan and Pavia called for the return of all military forces in Africa. (Chris Prouty quoted in Wikipedia)
In Ethiopia, there is some dispute over whether Menelik should have pushed on to drive the Italians out of Eritrea as well. Menelik’s warrior wife Empress Taitu was said to be urging him to do; she was a force to be reckoned with having marshalled her own army of 6000. Ato Abate and Ato Nejashi, our two History teachers, tell me the reasons it was considered a bad idea were threefold. First, the army was exhausted from battle and it was harvest season after a very severe famine so the men were needed at home. Secondly the rains were about to begin, making the roads impassable. Lastly taking such an offensive could have drawn the wrath of Italy’s allies and brought in reinforcements with superior weaponry with potentially catastrophic results for Ethiopia.
Menelik is remembered for his success in unifying and modernizing Ethiopia. He introduced electricity, telephones, schools and hospitals and the building of the Addis-Djibouti railway. He did however also re-intensify the slave trade which had almost been curbed by his predecessor. It is his Empress Taitu though, that most caught my attention. I always like to read about women in history and have been told several times by the men at college about Empress Taitu. While most of the sources I consulted made little mention of her, the college curriculum guide had a lot to say about her clever and sophisticated attempts to take control as Menelik declined in health. Menelik however named a male as his successor so I suppose the marriage was on the rocks by that time! While in the end Empress Taitu’s manoeuvers to take power were sidelined, today she is remembered as a strong Ethiopian woman who has schools and hotels named after her, including the oldest hotel in Addis.
Interior of the Taitu Hotel in Addis Ababa, located in the Piazza part of the city
Thanks to Ato Nejashi, here is a read of how our college curriculum guide summarizes the Battle of Adwa: “The Adwa victory showed the possibility of Black victory over the white colonial powers. It made Ethiopia a symbol of independence. Although Adwa guaranteed a political independence for Ethiopia, Eritrea was left amputated. Another consequence of the victory of Adwa was the Treaty of Addis Ababa which was signed on 26 October 1896 between Menelik and the Italians. It ended the war, abrogated the Wuchale Treaty, recognized the independence of Ethiopia and released the Italian captives.” Source: Woldia College Syllabus: Unit One – A History of Modern Ethiopia (1855-1906)
Some say the Mussolini attacks that occurred in late 1935 were payback for their humiliating defeat at Adwa. Using their superior military technology and chemical weapons, including mustard gas, they defeated the Ethiopian forces and occupied the country for 5 years, despite constant resistance from the Ethiopian fighters. Finally, with the support of the British in 1941, they were driven out of Ethiopia once and for all.
All the Italian influences that seem to remain today are “makeeatos”, bombolinos (non-sweet giant donuts), pasta, some excellent tunnels, roads and Roman bridges and town centers with roundabouts often called “Piassa”.
Happy Adwa Day to one and all!
Hi Marian
Great post – Very interesting stuff! And I love the pictures
Xerez (Guyana)
Hi Marian:
Enjoyed reading about the Italian presence and influences in Ethiopia (you remembered my question – Thank You). I sent you a little ‘care’ pkg. recently but it will probably take weeks to get there. I hope it arrives eventually.
Take care, Elizabeth
Thanks Elizabeth! I will let you know when it arrives. When I get a package Fraser from the post office calls me on my mobile to let me know – can’t beat that for service!!
Marian
Fascinating slice of history. I had wondered what Italy was doing in Ethiopia in the 30’s but never bothered to check it out.
On International Women’s Day Gale Tyler is coming to the VESTA S/W annual dinner to talk about Feminism then (2nd Wave) & now. Will there be any reference of IWD in Ethiopia?
Stay tuned for next week’s blog about our IWD event at Woldia College – we are planning a panel with role models for the female trainees on March 8th as part of our gender project, partially funded by a grant from VSO.
Very interesting post Marian, thanks! We love them all, keep them coming!
Hi Marian,
Of course, this is not taught in Italian history in Italy, just as defeats in Viet Nam are not written into French history. I checked with Concetta and she had never heard of this battle, which did not surprise me.
It’s always interesting to hear various versions of such an event.
Vanda
Epic victory!